Agenda - Council - 02/10/1981 - Laserfiche WebLink

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NEW WHAT LOCAL GOVERNMENTS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE METROPOLITAN AGRICULTURAL PRESERVES ACT INTRODUCTION This brief is to acquaint local and county officials with the 1980 Metropolitan Agricultural Preserves Act (Minn. Stat. 566). The law provides a package of benefits to enable farmers near urban areas who want to continue farming to do so on equal footing with farmers unaffected by urban expansion. The intent is to allow farmers in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area to make long-term agricultural investments with the assurance that their land will continue in farm use. Farmland in agricultural preservea will be valued according to its agricultural use rather than its market value, and tax rates will be reduced to a level comparable to that of outstate agricultural areas. The law prohibits special assessments for urban sewer and water systems. It places limits on local regulations that interfere with normal farm practices. In addition, it prohibits municipal- lties from annexing farmland without meeting certain conditions. The law directs state agencies to encourage the maintenance of farming in agricultural preserves. To convert far~land, the law requires eminent domain action to show that no reasonable alter- native exists. The law ties the agricultural preserve designation to the land, with no limitation on ownership. Land can be bought and sold as farmland with no penalties. THE CENTRAL ROLE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS Local government retains the central role in almost all aspects of this program. It alone determi~es eligibility through its local planning and zoning. It manages the application process and forces most of the law's requirements. The law uses the word "authority" in all refere~nes to the local government. It defines the authority as "the unit of government exercis~ng planning and zoning authority for the land speoifled in an app~lcation..." Where both a county and a township have adopted zoning regulations, the authority is the unit of government designated to prepare a comprehensive plan under the Metropolitan Land Planning Act.